The present invention relates to a device for turning hosiery items, typically socks and stockings, inside out with high operating reliability.
As it is known, hosiery items are generally manufactured by forming a tubular item that is open at its two opposite ends and by subsequently closing one of these two ends, which constitutes the toe of the hosiery item, by stitching or darning.
Since the toe of the hosiery item must be closed while said hosiery item is turned inside out, it is necessary to turn said hosiery item inside out prior to its packaging.
Among the various devices currently used to turn hosiery items inside out, a device is known which comprises a pair of rollers with parallel axes that are rotated about the respective axes in opposite directions. The two rollers can move mutually closer or further apart so that the hosiery item to be turned inside out is placed between them; the hosiery item is placed between the two rollers so that its toe protrudes from the side of the region of mutual contact of the rollers that lies in the direction of the tangential speed in the mutual contact region.
On the side toward which the toe of the hosiery item protrudes, this known device has a rod which is arranged in the plane tangent to both rollers and can move longitudinally to engage the toe of the hosiery item and advance between the two rollers in the direction opposite to that of their peripheral speed in the region of mutual contact, so that the combined action of the advancement of the rod and of the rotation of the rollers turns the hosiery item inside out along the rod.
These devices furthermore generally have a pair of counter-rotating secondary rollers that are arranged adjacent to the two main rollers, on the side opposite to the rod insertion side, and rotate in reverse with respect to said two main rollers so as to engage the hosiery item, which is inside out on the rod, when it is at the end of its advancement, and remove it from the rod while the rod is moved backward to its initial position.
In other kinds of devices, substantially based on the same operating concept, the two rollers are replaced with two mutually facing belts that are meant to receive, between them, the hosiery item and the rod which has engaged the toe thereof. The two belts are actuated, as regards their portion which is in contact with the hosiery item, with speeds orientated in the same direction and opposite to the direction along which the rod is inserted between the belts, so as to equally turn the hosiery item inside out along the rod.
Although these kinds of devices can achieve high productivity, they have the problem that they are not reliable enough in turning inside out small hosiery items, such as for example those meant for children.
Furthermore, these devices can damage hosiery items made of delicate thread, since the rollers or belts rub and press on the hosiery item while turning it inside out.